I'm doing this for you, Lily
by CupCakeyyy
Summary: In the afterlife, Lily forces James to write a letter to his least favourite person - Severus Snape.
1. I'm doing this for you, Lily

Written for the QLFC. The topic was „Write a letter". As I'm the second beater, my letter was supposed to be written to a rival or enemy. I chose James Potter and Severus Snape.

Prompts:

2. (word) drag

5. (quote) "I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don't" – W. Somerset Maughan

15. (word) willing

GO PUDDLES!

Enjoy reading! :D

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**I'm doing this for you, Lily**

Dear Sniv—Severus,

Don't say anything, okay? I know that slimy, greasy head of yours must think '_What in Merlin's soppy underwear is wrong with that awesomely handsome man?_' and I must say, I don't even know, either.

For my defence, it wasn't my idea. Lily bullied me into this. I would never do anything like that by choice. I know how you feel about me and you know how I feel about you. I've never particularly liked you and I probably never will. Although, I have to say, Lily is of a different opinion as she thinks that I should lower my, and I quote, _'overly huge and overly sexy ego'_ and just get a move on as I seem to be the only mature one between the two of us, but you know what? I know where she's coming from and I understand it, really, I do, but that doesn't mean that I have to agree with it.

So, why am I writing this letter, you ask yourself – just as I ask myself? I shall give you the answer.

It was kind of a shock, really. I was just going about my day, having a nice men talk with good old Sirius when my dear and amazingly scary wife – if you're reading this now, because you decided to check up on whether I actually wrote this letter or not, darling, _I love you! You are the most beautiful and endearing human being I've ever met_ – marched into the sitting room and literally dragged me out of there, causing me to bump my shin against the low coffee table which hurt like hell – _no offense, Lily Flower, you are a very gentle woman and I love you_.

Once we were in the kitchen, I had to endure a thirty minute long speech, listing all the reasons why I should get on neutral terms with you and why I should also try to convince Sirius of that matter. She said Remus would be the only reasonable one, so he wouldn't need to be convinced since he has already worked with you as his colleague, which by the way is the reason, why my respect for him quadruplicated instantly.

Anyway, we had this talk – or rather, I listened, nodding dutifully and she talked – and I agreed to at least write you a letter. First, she wanted me to talk to you in person, but seriously? No. Sorry, but just no. I love her very much, but that I just can't do. That doesn't have to do anything with my ego or pride, it just won't ever happen, no matter whether you died doing what you did or not.

Which brings me to the very reason why I actually agreed to write this letter in the first place.

Lily and I saw what you've done these past couple of years and we saw how you've treated my son. And I have to say I hate you even more for it. You do know that Harry is not anything like me, don't you? He may look like me, he may smile and laugh like me, he may even sound like me, but he is under no circumstances nothing, and I repeat _nothing_, like me. He is his own person with his own individual personality and he is way better than I could ever have been, had I survived that night in 1981. And you know that.

You've hated me since the moment you've first seen me and vice versa for that matter. You've had to deal with me – yes, you've read that correctly – for about five to six years before I managed to stop hexing you by sight. Lily might have a hand in this one, but she's always been the voice of reason.

And now I ask you one important thing and if you don't know the answer to that question, I sincerely advice you to think about it and think about it very, very carefully. Has Harry _ever _given you _any _reason for you to believe that he might be _anything like me_ at that time? Has he ever done something that might have caused you to _possibly_ _think _that he might be as – and yes, you'll read that one correctly as well – arrogant as I've been during our years at Hogwarts?

I know that you've compared him to me all the time. I know that he tried to make my actions somewhat justifiable and I love him even more for that. I'm not proud of my action during those couple of years, but I can't undo them. Harry on the other hand has _never _done _anything_ that might cause you to condemn him to a life of living through hell. Whenever you've met him, might it be in the corridors or classroom, you've made it your passion to humiliate and insult him, no matter the cost.

Do you think that makes you a better person than me? Or him? Well, if you've thought so, you've been wrong.

Harry has had an awful childhood while in the care of one Petunia Dursley. And I know that you've known that as well. And yet, you didn't let one single opportunity to insult him in that matter pass; just to hurt him because he is my son!

You've been friends with Lily and I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don't, directly at least, especially if it means that I may have to spend the next few days trying to build up my self-esteem again, but I've never liked it that you've managed to sneak your way into her life and yet managed to treat her like a pile of dung.

She has done so much for you, thinking of excuses for your unmistakable Death Eater behaviour over and over again, always trying to get you back on the light track. She has told you so much about her family, seeing that you've been – and once again, I don't like what I'm going to say now – her first and for a long time only friend and yet you haven't thought it important enough to bother when _her son_ had been brought to said part of her family and thus condemning him to a life as a bad treated house elf?

But, nevertheless, you did help him and I am willing to accept the way you've treated him back then. As I've already said, I can't change my past behaviour and neither can you, so you might even regret it. I don't know if you do, as I can't – and even if I could will _never_ – look inside your greasy head, but I sincerely hope you do.

Harry is a good boy and he doesn't deserve to be treated like that by anyone.

And yet, even though you've treated him like, well, me, you've been a huge help for him in the end and I am thankful for that. Lily and I have watched Harry go through hell and we've never managed to help him, even though we've desperately tried to, seeing as we are all dead.

You may not have told him that it has been you all along, but I think I understand your reasoning behind it and for once – and I pray to Merlin, hopefully for the last time – in my life, I agree with you. Through your actions, even though you might not have noticed – or you did plan it all along, after all, who knows what's going on in a sneaky Slytherin's brain – you've saved my son's life and I can't thank you enough for it.

Yeah, so, I don't really know what there is to say anymore. I've done what Lily asked of me and although I might not be apologizing or something like that to you – and never will be, that I promise you, because you're just a greasy old _git _who abused my son throughout his whole childhood which was bad enough without you making it even worse – it did do me good to get it all off my chest.

I know, I will never tell you all of this in person – well, probably would with the insults and the stinking truth going on here – but I figure, it's best to stick to a piece of yellow-ish parchment that can't punch back and possibly break my nose – I haven't forgiven you for that one time in fourth year, just so you know!

So… yeah…

I'd write 'Sincerely, yours' if it was only the slightest bit true, but…

I hope, I never have to see you again, slimy git!

The one and only

James Charlus Potter

Proud father of one Harry James Potter, best son one could possibly wish for.

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I hope you liked it! I know I certainly had a lot of fun writing this! Please leave a review ^.^

**Word count: **1469


	2. Snape's Answer

Hey guys! I've been asked to write Snape's answer to James' letter. Here it is ;D

Have fun reading!

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**Snape's Answer**

Potter,

I don't care. I thought you've understood that way back in our first year at Hogwarts, but I guess I was wrong. Merlin forbid, I thought Death may have helped you to get rid of your overly huge head, but having read that letter just now proved me wrong. Nothing can get past you thick skull, can it? Not even your own death.

I should have known that, really. Not a single word, sentence or the worst insult could stop you from trying to get what you wanted. You thought you had the right to just take everything and be all arrogant about it. Thinking of which, you've always been an arrogant little brat, so no surprise in that department.

Arrogant, insufferable, stupid and proud Gryffindor – always flounced about, your personal body guards always by your side. You thought nothing could ever stop you, didn't you? I could see it in your hateful eyes whenever you looked into my direction, whenever you started to smirk when I came your way.

Thought you were better than me, better than every single wizard, witch and Muggle the earth was inhibited by at that moment.

And I've seen your pitiful and sometimes even desperate attempts to get Lily's attention. You just wouldn't get that she wanted nothing to do with you, and yet you had to annoy the living hell out of her and thus me. Me being her best friend at that time had some advantages, you know?

Certainly, first of all, it pissed you off so very much it was quite amusing to watch you fume whenever you've seen the both of us together. I was the one by her side and no matter what you did; you couldn't manage to change it. And you've certainly tried, haven't you, Potter? Starting with catcalls, hexes, jinxes, pranks, until that wasn't enough – until you all wanted to get rid of me for good.

Oh, no. I haven't forgotten that one incident. I could still cite Dumbledore's every word from that evening if I wanted to. You and Pettigrew, running into the pitch black night, your stupid Invisibility Cloak fluttering behind you – you didn't even manage to properly cover yourselves. The full moon in the distance, lighting the grounds of Hogwarts, illuminating the Whomping Willow and then there was Black. Staying behind, wildly gesturing for you to get a move on, but not moving one inch from the spot where he stood.

I can remember that night perfectly, as if it was just yesterday that you lured me into that trap of yours and nearly got me killed in the process. I won't even try to comprehend the reasons that might have been behind that brilliant plan of yours, as I won't ever let myself sink onto your level of comprehension and sense of humour.

And after you got the chance to play the hero of the day, I owed you a Life Debt.

And that old coot Dumbledore had the nerve to tell me that I mustn't tell a single soul about this 'little unfortunate incident' as nobody was to ever find out, not caring one single Knut about the fact that I could as well have nearly died back by that precarious tree. As long as Saint James Potter could get something good out of the situation, no one was to argue.

And now you seriously ask me why I treated your son the way I did? You have absolutely no right _whatsoever_ to judge the way I used to treat my students. Your precious little son was a pain in the arse, strutting about, with his _friends_ always by his side, like he owned the place. Someone had to act sometime and teach him how to behave properly, seeing that no one had enough interest to tell him. Being his father and having to watch other people – _foreign _people, maybe even despised ones – raising your son – or failing at that – must have been a blow to your ego, am I right? Of course I am.

Given the fact that he has the arrogance, abnormally developed pride and ego, as well as his incredibly rude behaviour in his genes, he probably wouldn't even know how he acted around other people. Giving the impression that he was better than anybody else, someone to look up to, someone to _follow_. Please! Don't make me laugh!

He even managed to act like that without ever fully meeting his _precious Daddy _because he got himself killed beforehand_. _And don't even think about trying to reprimand me because this little fact may be my fault.

I know very well that not all of my decisions in life have been the right ones to make, but I at least accept the consequences of said mistakes, as well as deal with them which I certainly cannot say about you.

You may understand them, perhaps even accept some of them, but definitely are unable to life with them. Still whining like during our Hogwarts years – as if that would change anything.

I have had to learn that the hard way. What's happened happened and cannot be changed. It's in the past and thus untouchable. The future is what we make and are able to influence and we should act like it and not whine about things that cannot under any circumstances be changed. But one would need a well-functioning brain to comprehend those facts, which you are obviously lacking. But I wouldn't have expected anything different from somewhat born into the Potter family. It seems to be the malfunctioning genes.

You are a shame to the whole Wizarding World and, as you without a doubt know, I have made it clear to your precious little son to know that one fact about his family. And believe me, he didn't like it one bit. But what can I do? I only told him the truth.

So, to give this whole letter some more qualified facts for you to break your little brain about and for me to let off some steam for the last time, I have to tell you one thing.

What I have done to help that son of yours was something Dumbledore asked me to do. I had so much to thank him for, for saving my life and giving me a task to fulfil, that I chose to answer his call and act accordingly. I never did what I did because I might have some illogical desire to care for Lily's son or some other weird options you might have thought about.

I owed a Life Debt to you which I fulfilled by saving that brat of a Gryffindor during his first year. Otherwise he would have fallen from that broom of his that that idiot Quirrel had enchanted to throw him off and therefore he would probably have died, or at least would have crushed a good amount of bones. Therefore, everything that followed after that incident was purely to please the Headmaster.

Your son needed so much saving during his years in Hogwarts that it is a shame for him to have been called 'The Future Saviour of the Wizarding World'. He probably only survived because I made sure he would.

That being said, I wish to never ever hear from you again. I do not plan on wasting any more parchment on letters to you.

Keep your simple thoughts to yourself, Potter.

And please give my condolences to your wife for marrying such an insufferable prat like yourself.

In hopes of never having to see you or hear from you ever again,

Severus Snape

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I hope you enjoyed :D

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